NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Amid reports that three potential investors for the Marsh Harbour port have withdrawn, President and CEO of Arawak Port Development (APD), Dion Bethel, asserts that the company remains committed to the project.

On Monday, Abaco Chamber of Commerce President, Daphne Gregory-Maioulis, told Eyewitness News that, based on her understanding, three contenders that the government had been considering for the port’s reconstruction have all pulled out because, “when they look at the return on investment, they have found that there is so much work needed that everyone…has moved away from the idea.”

“The thought that there could be a PPP in the very near future is pretty nonexistent from what I understand,” Gregory-Maioulis added.

Fodd bynnag, Bethel told Eyewitness News on Tuesday that APD is “awaiting feedback from the government and remains hopeful for a positive outcome.”

He explained that the company submitted a proposal for the project when the government first issued the RFP in August 2023, drawing on APD’s “successful Public-Private Partnership model implemented at Arawak Cay in Nassau, tailored to meet the unique needs and opportunities of the Abaco community.”

“Our proposal includes a design-build-train-handover (DBTH) approach, which aims not only to enhance operational efficiencies but also to ensure that Bahamians, particularly Abaconians, have the opportunity to hold equity interests in their local port,” Bethel added.

During the Abaco Business Outlook 2024, Dominique Norris, an import-export business owner, suggested that the government seemed to be more focused on the Cooper’s Town Port than on the main port in Marsh Harbour, in response to questions regarding the port’s future.

When asked on Monday whether the government had found an investor for the port, Minister of Transport and Energy Jobeth Coleby-Davis stated, “Further consultation is required with the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Finance, and the Attorney General’s Office.”

The government is reportedly seeking a combined $100 million in investment for both ports, with a 20 percent ownership stake for the Bahamian public.

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